The (Not so) Rural Pennsylvanian

  • Allentown Area Covered Bridges

    I used my trip to the Poconos to stop and visit some historic covered bridges in the Allentown area.

    My first stop was the Wehr Covered Bridge, a wooden covered bridge located in Lehigh County. It is a three span, 117-foot-long (36 m) Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1841. It has horizontal siding and gable roof. It crosses Jordan Creek. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. There is and adjacent park, appropriately named Covered Bridge Park and a dam across Jordan Creek forming a small waterfall.

    Another interesting bridge with a nice setting is Manasses Guth Covered Bridge. It is a wooden covered bridge near the Wehr Covered Bridge. It is a 108-foot-long (33 m) Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1858, and rebuilt in 1882. It has vertical siding. It also crosses Jordan Creek and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. There is some interesting architecture near the bridge.

    The Geiger Covered Bridge is a is a 112-foot-long (34 m) Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1860. It has vertical plank siding and an entry portal of stepped square planks. It also crosses Jordan Creek within the Trexler Nature Preserve. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

    Finally, the Schlicher Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge that is 108-foot-long (33 m) Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1882. It has vertical plank siding and a gable roof. It crosses Jordan Creek near the Lehigh Valley Zoo. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980

  • About in the County

    This post is a sampling of some of the sites of Somerset County. The first stop is the Somerset Historical Center and Walters Mill Covered Bridge. The Center is a 150-acre rural history museum with exhibits, workshops, and educational programs dedicated to preserving the history of life in southwestern Pennsylvania from the region’s first farmers to the present day. It also serves as headquarters of the Historical & Genealogical Society of Somerset County. The Visitors Center houses permanent and changing exhibits as well as the Genealogical Research Library. I found it to be a good general source of information about the area, which was a life saver when my phone decided not to cooperate with me.

    The Walter’s Mill Covered bridge has been relocated to the property.

    The covered bridge was built in 1859 and originally crossed Coxes Creek, four miles south of the town of Somerset. Major repairs were made to the bridge in 1909, at which time laminated wood arches were added to the bridge’s original multiple kingpost truss system to accommodate heavier vehicles. Overtaken by developments and threatened with destruction, the bridge was moved to the Somerset Historical Center in the early 1960s. Extensively restored in 1986, the bridge remains open to pedestrian traffic.

    Nearby is the Quecreek Mine Rescue site. On July 24, 2002 coal miners at the Quecreek Mine in Lincoln Township, owned by Black Wolf Coal Company, accidentally dug into the abandoned, poorly documented Saxman Coal / Harrison #2 Mine, flooding the room and pillar mine with an estimated 75 million US gallons (280,000 cubic meters) of water. Both the Saxman Mine and Quecreek Mine are in the Upper Kittanning coal seam. Fortunately, all nine trapped miners were rescued using a metal capsule structure lowered into the mine through a drilled hole. The incident garnered national attention, especially in the wake of the September 11 disaster and the crash of Flight 93 nearby in Shanksville.

    The nearby Dormel Farm.

    Driving further north, one can visit the Trostletown Covered Bridge, a historic covered bridge in Quemahoning Township. It was built in 1845, and is a 104-foot-long (32 m) Kingpost truss bridge, with half-height plank siding and an asbestos shingled gable roof. The bridge crosses Stony Creek. It is one of 10 covered bridges in Somerset County. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

    The bridge is adjacent to an American Legion Post with an impressive display of hardware.

  • Somerset City

    The town of Somerset, with a population of around 6,000, is the county seat of Somerset County. It is close to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and is a good jumping off point for the many varied activities that the Laurel Highlands area has to offer. The county is a beautiful mix of mountainous and agricultural areas and small town charm.

    This is one of the more distinctive county courthouses in Pennsylvania, and it dominates the town skyline.
    The town contains some interesting late 19th and early 20th century architecture.
    I would take this building as an office.
    The Somerset Milling Co. is still a provider of feed and grain products.

  • In and Around Bedford

    The town of Bedford contains some interesting sights for the traveler. The Bedford Village Archeological Site is an archaeological site was once occupied by a Monongahela culture village. Today, the site is the location of Old Bedford Village, an open-air museum, containing a variety of historic structures transported to the site from the surrounding towns of Bedford, Everett, and Rainsburg.

    Some of the structures at Old Bedford Village.
    It was a nice surprise to see this lovely horse and pony.

    Adjacent to Old Bedford Village is the Claycomb Covered Bridge. It was was built in 1880 in Reynoldsdale and was moved to its present location in 1975. It is a burr truss design, 126 feet long, which has been reinforced with steel to support bus traffic that frequents Old Bedford Village. The structure is unpainted and the roof is constructed of Cedar shakes. The deck consists of crossboard planks and the sides are totally enclosed. It sits on poured concrete abutments.

    Near the entrance to Old Bedford Village, I couldn’t resist a stop at the Penguin, which has a large menu of hard and soft ice cream and other treats.

    Finally, one of Bedford’s iconic sites is the Coffee Pot.

  • A Ramble Through the Township

    A nice summer day called for a trip through some of the more rural areas of my hometown, as well as its center.

    The Diamond Rock Schoolhouse has been featured on this blog before. It is an historic octagonal one-room school which is located at the foot of Diamond Rock Hill in Tredyffrin Township, near Valley Forge National Historic Park. The Diamond Rock Schoolhouse was used as a school between 1818 and 1864. As the population of the area grew during the mid-1800s, the school eventually became too small, and it closed in 1864 when students were reallocated to other nearby schools. After 1864, the old schoolhouse fell into disrepair but was eventually restored in 1909 by the Diamond Rock School Old Pupils Association, a group of former students who saw great value in preserving their former school for future generations.

    Some farm properties along Yellow Springs Road.
    Into Berwyn, a local church and the train station.

  • Sheards Mill and Its Bridge

    Another covered bridge in a scenic area, the Sheard’s Mill Covered Bridge is located in East Rockhill Township and Haycock Township, Bucks County next to the Levi Sheard Mill. The bridge was built in 1873, and is 15-foot-wide (4.6 m) and 130-foot-long (40 m), making it one of Bucks County’s longest bridges. The bridge crosses the Tohickon Creek on Covered Bridge Road. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 1, 1980.

    I don’t see a Burr Arch truss. It looks like another Lattice Truss, like South Perkasie.

    The bridge is near the Levi Sheard Mill. It is also known as Sheard’s Mill and the John S. Clymer Mill, and is an historic, American grist mill that is located in East Rockhill Township, Bucks County. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 2006. The first section of this historic structure was built circa 1825, with three additions built into the early twentieth century. The mill was purchased by Levi Sheard in 1844. In 1916, ownership was transferred to brothers Rubin and John Clymer. The mill continued to operate until the 1970s.

  • A Bridge and a Town Known for Its Theatre

    The South Perkasie Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that is located in Perkasie, Bucks County. It is the oldest covered bridge in Bucks County and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 1, 1980. Built in 1832, this bridge is a 93-foot-long (28 m), Town truss covered bridge that once crossed Pleasant Spring Creek, but was moved and rededicated on August 15, 1959 as a feature in Lenape Park. It is the third oldest Town Lattice bridge in the country. The bridge was heavily damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in September 2021. As you can see below, it is currently closed for repairs.

    South Perkasie is adjacent to the town of Sellersville which was founded in the early 18th century. It is centered on a major road known as Bethlehem Pike that connected Philadelphia to Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley. The town was very small and was called Sellers Tavern. Its most notable feature was a large inn. The present Washington House in Sellersville, however, was not Sellers Tavern. When the railroad expanded to the area in 1856, Sellersville experienced a population increase. After the borough’s incorporation in 1874, there was even more growth in the area. Cigar, textile, and other industries established companies in Sellersville, including Schulmerich Bells (one of the world’s largest producers of electronic carillons and hand bells). Today Sellersville is largely a commuter town.

    One of the best know institutions in town is the Sellersville Theater.

    The Washington House Hotel and Restaurant on Main Street.
    The historic train station.

  • An Inspirational Farm

    The Kuerner Farm, also known as Ring Farm, is located in Chadds Ford. It is notable for its association with artist Andrew Wyeth, who created about one-third of his work, more than 1,000 paintings and drawings, on subjects he found there during a span of seventy-seven years.

    In 1926, Karl Kuerner and his wife Anna rented the farm, which they bought in 1940. Karl had been a sheepherder near the Black Forest in his native Germany, and had been a machine gunner in the German Army during World War I. Andrew Wyeth’s first painting of the farm was completed in 1932, when Wyeth was just fifteen years old. The farm was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark in 2011.The property abuts the Brandywine Battlefield, another National Historic Landmark. The farm is open to public tours, operated by the Brandywine River Museum.

    I had a previous opportunity to photograph a wide shot of the farm , but I was recently able to get on one of the public tours. The first stop on the tour was the farmhouse,

    A springhouse, perhaps, near the front door.
    Apparently, Mrs. Kuerner loved wallpaper.
    An example of the progression of Wyeth’s work. The left was painted at the farmhouse while Karl Kuerner was ill.
    This sink has appeared in Wyeth’s work.
    These cuties were a big hit,

  • A Special Urban Park

    Nay Aug Park sits in 73 wooded acres in Scranton. The name Nay Aug traces its origin to the Munsee Indians, a sub group of the larger Lenape tribe. In their language Nay Aug means “noisy water or roaring brook.” The Munsee settled along the banks of the Roaring Brook and were a peaceful group mostly committed to fishing and farming.

    Nay Aug Park was established in 1893. Scranton’s 9th Mayor, W.L. Connell directed the purchase of 2 acres of land in the city’s east side from the Beckett Estate. The early years were a boom for the citizens of Scranton and the park. The population was growing and leaders had the foresight to realize the need for a place to gather. The city purchased five more acres of land from the Beckett Estate. Scranton received donations of land from the Watres Estate and Lackawanna Iron and Coal which owned the majority of land the park now occupies.

    There was an amusement park located on the eastern side which was called Luna Park. It opened in 1906 and met with a disastrous fire in 1916. It never recovered and subsequently closed for good. The land was incorporated into what is now Nay Aug Park. The park today contains a variety of attractions and hosts a wide array of activities throughout the year,

    The Everhart Museum, the largest in the northeast, houses artifacts related to natural history, science and art.
    A portion of the park was once a zoo.
    The David Wenzel Treehouse is a really impressive and unique structure built in 2007.
    A great view down into Nay Aug Gorge.
    I love the way this house seems perched on the hillside.
    A little excitement in the air from the treehouse.
    Some of the old zoo buildings have been converted to Street Cats, an adoption and spay and neuter charity for feral cats.

  • An Electrifying Trolley Museum

    The Electric City Trolley Museum sits across the parking lot from the Steamtown National Historic Site. Due to time constraints, I didn’t have the chance to look inside the day I was there. It is a premier electric railway museum . In 1887, Scranton was Pennsylvania was the first city with a successful pioneer trolley line and became known as “The Electric City.” The museum collection provides a highly representative picture of the electric railway history of eastern Pennsylvania, from the Philadelphia region to Northeast Pennsylvania. Trolley rides are offered seasonally,

    The museum was created by the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority. Lackawanna County manages the museum day-to-day. The facility itself, located on the Steamtown National Historic Site, is on long-term lease from the National Park Service. The trolleys operate over tracks owned by both Steamtown and the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority, including a portion of the historic Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley’s Laurel Line third-rail interurban right-of-way.

    All the way to Scranton to see a Septa trolley.
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